THE budget could prove an economic springboard for Selby and help unemployed people in the district to become entrepreneurs, a business leader has said.

David Fieldsend, chair of the Selby Chamber, said the budget showed great potential for the region, and the introduction of a simplified tax system for businesses that earn under £77,000 could help create new companies.

He said: “The biggest concern with starting a business is accounts. I know there are people in Selby who have good ideas for small businesses, which will only want to stay small, or market traders who will never exceed the £77,000. People think ‘it will be too much like hard work and I’ll pay a fortune in fees to an accountant’. That’s the hard part of running a business, and it could be made a lot easier by this budget.”

But Labour councillor Steve Shaw-Wright called the budget one of “reheated Thatcherism”.

He said: “We needed a budget that looked to the future and made jobs, particularly for young people, the national priority. Instead we have got a budget for the rich by the rich.